Rocker's Creed
by Esperwen
Summary: AU - Assassin's Creed boys in a rock band.  Not sure if this is epic or crack... Rated for language and Ezio's eventual shenanigans.
1. Getting the Band Together

_Esperwen- _Kink meme prompted for a fic about Assassin's Creed boys in a band. 8D Being a groupie, I obliged.

Check out the YouTube vid the prompter was inspired by: watch?v=580-DVCAFWU

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><p><strong><span>Getting the band together<span>**

It was time.

The man was downtown, waiting. He stood in an alley across the street that night, leaning against one of its scummy walls as he watched people trickling out of the building. They were heading home for a few hours' sleep, to prepare for the rat race the next day would bring. Silently, the man waited in the shadows, unseen and undisturbed; he had never enjoyed being around people, and that night was no exception.

_So many customers..._ he thought to himself, pretending to adjust his hood so he could hide his face from a couple walking by, _He's been doing well._

He ignored the hushed whispers as the man and woman passed him; they were of no consequence. He was there for the bartender. Finally, his patience paid off. The man saw the neon sign that displayed the bar's name, "The Farm," flicker out. He smirked to himself, then straightened up and strode across the road.

It was time.

...::...

"...ah, crap..."

Desmond groaned when he saw the mess in one of the booths in his bar. He was so ready to lock up and go home, too...

"What? What's wrong?"

The bartender gave his top waitress a tired smile as she walked up to him. He was glad she'd been on shift that night to help him close the Farm; just looking at the beautiful girl made him feel a little better.

"Oh, the usual," he answered, gesturing towards the booth with one hand, "Somebody threw up and didn't tell anyone about it."

"Ugh. Gross," Lucy wrinkled her nose, stopping where she was before she got any closer, "...I'll grab the mop, then?"

"Yeah. Thanks," Desmond sighed with a nod, and he moved to wipe off the rest of the tables while he waited.

_Man, I am exhausted,_ he thought to himself, his body on autopilot as he cleaned, _I just wanna go home, get some sleep...I really hope nothing else happens, tonight..._

"_Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!_ Desmond, hel...!"

Desmond's eyes widened at how Lucy's scream cut off, and without another thought, he dropped the rag in his hand and sprinted towards the back of the bar. The blonde wasn't the type of woman to scare easily; whatever caused a blood-curdling scream like that must definitely be serious! She had to be in trouble.

He ran full tilt through the door behind the bar, towards where he knew the broom closet was, and when he rounded the corner, he saw Lucy struggling with a hooded stranger. The tall man was holding her from behind, his hand over her mouth; that was probably the reason why her cry for help had ended so abruptly. Instinctively, Desmond ran even faster to her aid, and with a wordless yell he tackled the intruder, somehow managing to get him to let go of Lucy in the process. But to the bartender's chagrin, the stranger didn't fall to the floor like he had hoped.

"Holy shit!" Desmond yelled, when he found himself flying through the air, only to crash unceremoniously against the far wall, _Sonuvabitch freakin' threw me!_

Scrambling to his feet, Desmond saw Lucy try to run back to the bar, probably to get to the phone behind the counter and call for help. But the man in the hoodie was too fast; in an instant, he had caught up to Lucy, Grabbing her arm, and putting a hand on her waist, the intruder propelled her towards the other end of the hall, causing her to stumble a few steps before overbalancing and falling in a heap in the dead end where Desmond was.

"Shit!" Lucy exclaimed, as Desmond quickly helped her up.

"Are you ok?" he asked her in a low voice, concerned but never taking his eyes off the stranger.

"I'm fine," Lucy nodded, brushing her off before nodding to the man who was blocking their only way out, "What do we do about him?"

"I say we rush him," was Desmond's first thought.

"Wait."

The bartender and waitress froze at the stranger's command. His voice wasn't rough, or even menacing, like they'd expected. His voice was a low baritone, clear but authoritative, somehow. His word had sounded more like a leader's advice, than a thug's command.

And somehow, he'd sounded familiar, to Desmond.

When the man was sure that the two of them were watching, he raised his hands as if he were surrendering to them. Then he moved his right hand, keeping his left held up for them to see, while pulling his deep hood down to reveal his face.

He hadn't needed to do the latter, though. Desmond had already noted the missing ring finger.

"Shit! _Altair?_"

The man's scarred mouth curved into a smile as he uttered his unique greeting, "Safety and peace, Desmond."

The younger man's expression changed from wary to delighted, and he hurried down to give Altair the biggest bear hug he could manage. Lucy blinked as she watched them; had she not known better, she would have thought the two of them were twins, right down to the scars on their lower lips. Or, at least brothers; the man who had attacked her seemed older than her employer.

"Oh, c'mere, you!" Desmond laughed when Altair only relaxed fractionally to return the embrace, "F*ck, why'd you have to break into my bar? How many times to I have to tell you: call me when you're in town! Lucy!" he released Altair to wave to his bewildered employee, "Lucy, this is my cousin, Altair! I haven't seen him in months! You've really never met him? Oh, right, he only visits at my apartment; I forgot."

"Um...hi," Lucy's wave was cautious, not really sure what to do with the sudden change of mood, "Uh...I hate to dwell on things, but he jumped me. In the broom closet."

"Hey, yeah, what's a-matta you, Altair?" Desmond exclaimed, punching his cousin lightly on the shoulder, "You freaked my friend out!"

"I did not jump her," Altair muttered, rolling his eyes, "She misunderstood."

"He was lurking in the closet!" Lucy raised her hands, exasperated, "I opened the door, and there he was, standing in the dark! And then he attacked me!"

Desmond gave Altair a questioning look, which the Arab could only meet for a second before turning away. It took Desmond a moment, but, knowing his cousin, he hazarded a guess.

"...you made a wrong turn and ended up locked in the closet, didn't you?" he asked gently, knowing that he hated getting his ego bruised.

The frazzled way Altair ran his fingers through his short hair and avoided Desmond's eyes was answer enough. The bartender had to grin; his cousin was tall and menacing, but at the core he was a bit of an absentminded dork. It didn't help that Altair was too proud to ever admit it and ask for help, either.

"...oh," Lucy covered her mouth to hide an amused smile_._

"That...that isn't what I came here to talk about!" Altair snapped, hating being caught vulnerable, "I'm here to speak to you about something important, cousin," he looked at Lucy pointedly "In private."

"Rude," Lucy sniffed, but still smiling a little at him. After seeing him almost blush, the man seemed only half as intimidating as when he almost got her into a half-nelson. For a moment, she and Altair continued eyeing each other, waiting for the other to make a move.

"Luce..." Desmond sent her a sidelong glance, "Please? This'll probably only take a minute."

The woman suppressed a sigh, then nodded, ignoring the triumphant look Altair was sending her.

"All right, I'll go," she agreed with a shrug, "You're the boss!"

Desmond had to chuckle, at that. He might own and manage the place, but it was Lucy who had taught him how to run things when he'd first opened the bar five years ago. And it was Lucy who came to the rescue whenever Desmond found his expenditures were going to run the bar into the ground (which was more often than he would like to admit). If anyone was boss, it was her.

Cautiously, Lucy walked around the two men, choosing to edge around Desmond's side of the hall. Neither she nor Altair took their eyes off the other; clearly, they still had trust issues with each other. When she had gone around the corner and out of sight, Desmond punched Altair in the shoulder again, but this time with enough force to cause the Arab to grunt and throw a questioning glare at him.

"She's my friend. You don't get to treat her like that," Desmond scolded, "Lucy doesn't freak out easy, but you made her scream. Never do that again."

Altair's eyes softened a little, hearing his little cousin speak like that. For one thing, it reminded him of when they were little; Desmond, while being the youngest, had always been the one to try to teach Altair social graces (not that it had worked). For another, he'd caught a certain tone in the way Desmond had said Lucy's name.

"Has the littlest one developed feelings for this...Lucy?" he asked, a dry smile on his lips to mask the sincerity of his question.

Desmond tried to give Altair an irritated look, but he didn't quite succeed. The expression melted into a more tender one before Altair even felt two heartbeats.

"...She's important to me, ok?" Desmond said quietly, by way of dodging the question, then said in a stronger tone, "Now, what's so important that you had to trespass onto my property to tell me?"

Altair smirked, making a mental note to keep an eye on the waitress. He would have to see if she was worthy of his favourite cousin's affections.

"It's time, Desmond," he said, reaching into the back pocket of his black jeans and pulling out a calling card, "I think we're ready."

"Yeah? You've finally found someone worthy?" Desmond asked, not quite sarcastically.

With a nod, Altair offered the card to Desmond. He took it, and his eyes were immediately drawn to the words "Assassin's Creed" typed in big letters at the top. Below that was a logo like an incomplete teardrop or an arrowhead, and then four member names were listed, only one of which Desmond didn't recognize.

"Shit...You _did _find someone!" Desmond breathed, his eyes almost sparkling as he looked up at his cousin, "You're finally gonna start your band!"

It had been their boyhood dream to start their own rock band; not only Desmond and Altair, but also their other cousin, Ezio, and Altair's long-time best friend, Malik. As kids, they had fooled around with every piano or guitar that they could get their hands on, or sang at the top of their lungs with the radio when it played any song that they knew. The youngest, Desmond, could never get the right notes or feel the beat, but he had promised to find a place where they would always have a chance to perform; a promise he had already followed through with. As teens, they slaved at boring part-time jobs to buy their own instruments, and spent hours honing their skills. There had been some barriers to overcome in their most recent years, such as being forced by their parents to "get into college so they could find a _real_ job," as well as other...incidents that had slowed them down. But now...

"It really _is_ time!" Desmond whispered excitedly, a grin spreading across his face, "This is really gonna happen!"

Altair gave his cousin's fanboy attitude a slightly bored look before pointing to the calling card again. Desmond raised an eyebrow when he obeyed. There was still a slot to be filled, at the bottom.

_For information, contact _._

"All we need is an agent, and we can begin," Altair said, crossing his arms before leaning towards Desmond confidentially, "I was hoping you could do it."

"Me? Oh..." the bartender scratched the back of his head, "...I don't know, man..."

"Really?" Altair scoffed at that, "You know how to run a business; you can manage Assassin's Creed. I thought you wanted this, too."

"Altair, I do, but managing the Farm takes my full effort" the bartender protested, "I can't handle anything else!"

The slightly taller man frowned at that and started to say something else, but at that moment their conversation was interrupted by a voice down the hall.

"Desmond?"

Both the men turned around at the sound of Lucy's voice. She had just turned the corner and come into view, a man with a loose ponytail following right behind her.

"...But I think I know who could," Desmond said quietly, just loud enough that only Altair could hear him.

"Hey, Desmond, that Italian model that I keep saying looks just like you is here," she said as she walked towards them, motioning to the newcomer, "And I'm assuming he's your cousin, too, because he even has the scar..."

Lucy's voice trailed off when she noticed Desmond and Altair share a look, before Desmond gave her his most charming smile and Altair somehow crossed his arms tighter and turned away. That smile was suspiciously familiar...

"Wait, Desmond, why are you looking at me like that? ...are we going bankrupt, again?"

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><p><em>Esperwen- <em>It was just supposed to be a stupid one-shot. But then I thought of a backstory. And then I killed some people. And then I thought about blackmail photos and Lucy/Desmond. And then GAAAAAH.


	2. First Rehearsal

_Esperwen- _And then an epic/crack story of about 10 chapters was born/plotted out! I can never do one-shots...except that one one-shot fill, but whatever...

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><p><strong><span>First rehearsal<span>**

"I am not so sure about this..."

"What?"

"Maybe I should not do this."

"You can't back out now! You said you could play!"

"Yes, but that was before you showed me those old recordings. You did not tell me I was replacing a musical _god._"

Sitting on the curb outside an old music studio, waiting for the other members of Assassin's Creed to arrive, Ezio tried not to sigh when he heard that; Leonardo had a point. The artist was replacing the best guitar player Ezio had ever known, after all. And not just electric guitar; the night before, Ezio had shown Leonardo some old videos of the genius playing on an acoustic guitar, the bass, and even a short number on a sitar. Whatever instrument he touched, Altair managed to make it scream, wail or seduce with such emotion and skill, that of course Leonardo couldn't help but feel overwhelmed that he was supposed to _take Altair's place_.

"How do you expect me to measure up to..." Leonardo motioned with his arms vaguely, words escaping him, "...to _him?_"

"You don't have to match his skills," Ezio shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant to put his new friend at ease, "Just do his songs justice; that's all."

"I am not sure if I can!" Leonardo insisted, fiddling with the handle of his guitar case, "Did you hear that riff in his song, 'Leap of Faith'? The way he played it...it was so breathtaking it brought tears to my eyes! The only tears I have ever induced were those of pain."

"Leonardo, _amico mio_, you are over-thinking this," the vocalist smirked, patting his friend on the shoulder, "I had you play for him last week, remember? Altair approved of you, and I have seen him turn down musicians that have their own bands, now. He must really see something in you."

"Really? Who did he turn down?" Leonardo asked, skeptically.

"Let's see..." Ezio rubbed his chin before raising a finger for each name, "There was Manfredo, Duccio, Il Lupo...he hated Hellequin, for some reason..."

"Hellequin?" the humble guitarist was aghast, "He turned down _Hellequin_?"

"_Si,_ Leo, and he chose you," Ezio nodded with a reassuring smile, "So relax. He wants you to be a part of Assassin's Creed."

The blonde nodded slowly, adjusting the red cap in his hair self-consciously, but he wasn't convinced. Altair could have had _Hellequin_ on his band? Maybe he was just terrible at scouting talent.

"It is a shame about his accident," Leonardo mumbled, more to himself than to Ezio, "Then he could play for himself."

"I know," Ezio sighed, watching Leonardo scrutinize his own left ring-finger, "She always did say he had a golden left hand..."

"'She'?" Leonardo echoed, looking at his friend curiously, "Who said that?"

"Ah, nothing!" Ezio waved the issue off quickly, shaking his head, "Forget I said anything. ...and _don't_ ask Altair about her, either," he added sternly.

"Ask about who?"

"Exactly."

The two friends shared a smile, and Ezio changed the subject, talking about lighter things. He had considered telling Leonardo about their band's past before, especially when Altair had accepted him into the group. But it didn't seem right to talk about her, yet. That was something that Altair would have to tell their new band member about on his own time. And, considering the way that the brooding man still felt, that story would be a long time in coming.

Some time passed, and Ezio frowned when he looked at his watch. It was more than half an hour after the group had planned to start their practice. The others were late.

"Do you think they forgot?" Leonardo asked, also noting the time.

"Not a chance," Ezio shook his head confidently, "When you want something this badly for this long, you can't forget."

The model considered calling the other two band members for a moment, when a thought occurred to him. With a groan, Ezio got up from the curb, brushed himself off, and strode over to the front door of the run-down studio, Leonardo watching him the whole time. Reaching out, he tugged on the handle of the front door, experimentally.

It opened with ease.

Ezio breathed in deep.

"...Fuuuuuu-" Ezio growled, prolonging the syllable as Leonardo scrambled to get up.

"It's open? I tested it when I got here; it was locked!" the guitarist said, remembering that he had arrived at the studio first.

"-uuuuuuuuuu-" the singer only frowned, holding the door open so his friend could carry his guitar and amp into the building without any hassle.

As Leonardo entered the first dimly lit hallway, he could hear the sounds of a rapid drum solo, and a bass guitar being tuned in another room. Someone was already inside.

"-uuuuuuuuuuuu-" sounded a little louder, probably fuelled by irritation.

Ezio led the way, taking the heavy amp as he passed Leonardo and walking brusquely towards the end of the hall. He was fast enough that Leonardo had to hurry to keep up, holding his guitar case close to his body so he wouldn't overbalance. They made a left, then a quick right, and then Ezio burst through the first door that they came to on their left.

"-UUUUUUUUUUUCK YOU!" Ezio finally yelled, pointing at the two men already in the room.

There was a tense silence. At first, none of the four moved. Then, the drummer in the room continued practicing the complicated but somehow steady beat he had been working on, and the bassist played a walk-down on his instrument as if he had never been interrupted. Had he not recognized the man sitting at the drum kit, Leonardo would have assumed they had entered the wrong room.

"...You have excellent lungs."

Leonardo had to break the tension, and said the first thing that came to mind. As soon as he did, he felt foolish.

"_Grazie,_" Ezio grunted, taking a few steps deeper into the practice room and putting the guitar amplifier down.

"About time you got here," the bassist said, a somewhat malicious smile on his face, "I was beginning to think you were lost."

"Dammit, Malik! You snuck in through the back?"

"It's not sneaking if you have the key."

"_Figli di puttana!"_

Ignoring the ensuing argument between his band mates, Leonardo nodded to the drummer, almost bowing in his enthusiasm.

"It is good to see you again, Altair," he said, almost shyly; their leader was intimidating on his own, and it didn't help that Leonardo was now in awe of his musical skills, too.

"Safety and peace, Leonardo," Altair nodded back, the slight head tilt in complete contrast to the artist's greeting, "I trust you are well."

That was a statement, not a question. Leonardo nodded again, then began setting up his guitar, edging around the arguing singer and bassist to retrieve his amp. Their yelling match soon devolved into a scuffle to see who could punch the other in the face first; Ezio adjusted his ponytail and the guitar player flipped his bass so it lay across his back before they lunged at each other. Leonardo hadn't been sure what to expect when he'd joined the Creed, but if anything, he had thought it would be a bit less chaotic. With a yelp, he found himself needing to dodge an electric tuner that had been thrown.

"Guys!" Altair barked, when he saw the device narrowly miss Leonardo's face, "Enough! You've gone too far!"

"He started it," Ezio protested, making one last swipe at Malik before letting the front of his t-shirt go.

"Your own fault for not having the presence of mind to call or check the damned door," was the bassist's annoyed retort.

"I checked the door," Leonardo said quietly, as he jacked his guitar and turned the amp on, "It was locked."

"You must have been very early, then," Altair said, coolly practicing a drum roll as he spoke, "Malik unlocked it about fifteen minutes before we planned to start. Which reminds me," Altair drummed a few beats before hitting the crash and then pointing with his drumstick to the man the artist hadn't recognized, "Leonardo, allow me to introduce to you Malik Al-Sayf, my oldest friend. Sadly, he has no skills or talents but for map-making, which nobody cares about, anymore. He is in my eternal debt for allowing him to join my band."

"Fool, I'm the best bassist you've ever heard," Malik growled, but with a much friendlier smile than when he had been laughing at Ezio. He extended his hand toward Leonardo, "Nice to meet you. You must be good, if this idiot is willing to let you play."

"I try," Leonardo said humbly, shaking his hand, "I...I will try to measure up to him."

"You can dream," both drummer and bassist said at the same time.

Interestingly, rather than feel put down, Leonardo got the impression that he had been let in on an inside joke. Smiling, he experimentally strummed his guitar, then, frowning at the inconsistencies he heard, began tuning it.

"You don't need a tuner?" Malik asked, adjusting his glove as he watched his new acquaintance closely.

"Ah, no..." was the quiet answer, _Why is he wearing a glove on his left hand?_

"He has perfect pitch," Ezio spoke up, finally starting to set up his microphone, "I told you that, already."

"I must not have been listening; I find your voice irritating, after all," Malik shrugged, and added before Ezio could reply, "You don't need a mic. Nobody needs to hear you."

"Might as well practice using it, doing some tricks with it," Ezio grinned, "Our first gig is next week, after all."

_**Twiinnnngg...!**_

All present turned to Leonardo when the string he had been tuning suddenly went wildly sharp. He was round-eyed as he looked first at Ezio, then Malik, and finally Altair.

"We play next week?" he gaped when his leader nodded stoically, "So soon? I-I thought that...but we haven't even...I had no idea that we would start so soon!"

"Ezio didn't tell you?" Malik frowned, "We have to play as much as possible. The Eden nominees are going to be announced in two months."

"The Eden...!"

Leonardo lost his voice, at that. His arms fell away from his guitar, and he stared at Ezio, stunned. Everything was happening so much faster than he expected.

The Eden Music Awards were the most prestigious things that any new band could hope for. In the first year of a band's lifetime, they were eligible for an award. As every musician knew, if a band won a Piece of Eden, it basically guaranteed them a future in the music business for at least ten years, which was an accomplishment, considering how some bands turned out.

The Eden Awards were different from all other awards. When the winners were announced, there was no fancy show to broadcast some Sunday evening for the whole world to see. The Edens were never about popularity, or mainstream hype. Everything was about quality music, and the faceless way whoever was in charge of the Edens handled things only added to the awards' prestige. When the results were given out, the music community found out online or through newspapers through anonymous sources, and the winners would find the award waiting on their doorstep, with a congratulatory notice. It was, as a certain bartender once put it, "Very ninja. Very cool." Only the best of musicians, like Altair and Malik (and allegedly, Ezio) wanted an Eden.

And Assassin's Creed was apparently aiming for the titles that would be awarded in only about six months.

"I...I suppose that's possible," Leonardo said slowly, thinking out loud, "We could win one of them..."

There were four Pieces of Eden, Leonardo knew. The Shroud was awarded to the group who made the best music video of the year. The Sword was given to the best song, and the Staff was the award given for best album.

"If I can get the riff in 'Leap of Faith' down, we could probably get the Sword," the artist nodded to himself.

"The Sword? You're aiming for the _Sword_?" Malik scoffed, then gave Ezio a scathing glance, "You really didn't tell him anything, did you?"

"...no!" Leonardo breathed, as realization dawned on him.

There was only one Piece of Eden that left its counterparts behind by far. The award that was given to the best all-around band; the one that would guarantee the winners record deals, fame, prestige...basically setting them as stars in the music community for life.

"You...really...?" he said haltingly, as if afraid to say it out loud.

Assassin's Creed didn't just want an Eden.

They wanted the _Apple_.

_But...that's impossible!_ Leonardo thought wildly, _There isn't enough time!_

"Yes," Ezio nodded, when he saw that his friend understood.

"We want the Apple of Eden, Leonardo," Altair said, voicing everyone in the room's thoughts. He smirked at the shell-shocked expression on the older man's face, then added confidently, "And believe me, we're going to get it."

"But...we haven't even...!"

"Leo."

The artist's eyes finally came back into focus at the sound of Ezio's voice. Looking over at his friend, he saw a slight smirk quirking the corner of his scarred mouth, but his eyes were reassuring, rather than teasing.

"Why did you want to join our band?" the singer asked, "Remind me."

Leonardo shifted his feet uncomfortably. It was one thing to think a dream, and another to say it out loud. But he knew he had to speak; Malik was looking at him like an outsider, again.

"...To spread knowledge," the guitarist said quietly, his eyes downcast, "Your songs tell the truth of the world, reveal the rotting of the system, and urge people to ask questions and think for themselves. To become allied to such as cause and open people's eyes this way..." Leonardo looked up at Ezio again, who he saw was now smiling approvingly, "I would love to be part of that."

"If what you say is true, you must see that winning the Apple is the best thing for us to do," Malik smirked, sliding his bass off his back and into his hands, again, the 'outsider' look gone from his eyes, "Trust Altair. He has a terrible sense of direction, but with music, he's always right. He wouldn't suggest the Apple if he didn't think we could do it; he's long since outgrown rushing into foolhardy decisions," Malik's eyes seemed to darken at that, for a moment, but his tone was light as he continued, "And he wouldn't have let you join if he didn't think you could help us get there. If he thinks we can win this is so short a time, we will win this."

The blond nodded slowly, running a hand along his guitar strings before glancing up at Altair. The man had a strange look on his face; whether it was amusement or agreement, Leonardo couldn't quite tell. He was a stern man, the artist could tell, with a no-nonsense and focused attitude. And he was also the man who had written those haunting songs Ezio had shown him. Altair had the drive, and the talent. Maybe they really could get the Apple of Eden...

"Are you ready to join us, Leonardo da Vinci?"

Hesitating only a second, the guitarist nodded confidently. The drummer smirked.

"Good. Then let's get started. Show me your 'Leap of Faith'."

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><p><em>Esperwen- <em>I actually had this chapter ready a week ago, but for some reason my file wouldn't upload. OH WELL, it works now!

I like how there are at least 8 references to the game, in this chapter. Also, yes, I _did_ just elude to Leonardo being initiated into "following the Creed" by doing a "Leap of Faith." 8D (I am both fanboying and fangirling at the same time... Fanboys freak out over the nerdy, technical part of things, and fangirls SQUEE.)

Dude, I have to finish my Naruto fanfics...some of them aren't even half bad...maybe when I reread the original series...it's been kinda sucky, lately...

Ok, time to write chapter 3...


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